Rebel Yell
by Hidge
Summary: AU. What could have happened when Hotch was assigned to do security clearance for Ambassador Prentiss' staff. Emily/Hotch. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is going to be a short Hotch/Prentiss chapter fic that I just needed to get out of my head so I hope that you guys like it. :) It is set when Hotch is 27 and Prentiss is 21 so anything that may be attributed to "out of character" writing, let's just keep in mind how young they are and the fact that they haven't been totally desensitized by the BAU, please and thank you! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 1 – The Rookie**

Aaron Hotchner sat at his desk in the bullpen of what most agents referred to as the white-collar crime unit in the Washington, D.C. field office. He was diligently completing his paperwork on a Monday morning as he was eager to prove himself to his supervisor.

He came from a wealthy, respected family in the oldest part of Virginia and after receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and then a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown, great things were expected from him. He had worked as a prosecutor, something that he had been quite successful at, for two years before deciding that he wanted to do his part to stop cases before they reached a lawyer's desk. So he decided to apply to the FBI, and now here he was at 27, fresh out of the Academy with only one assignment under his belt.

He was intelligent, ambitious, and dedicated. The only girlfriend that he had ever had, since he was 17 years old, had recently broken up with him because of his workaholic tendencies so now his work was really all he had to think about. And he was fully determined to climb the ranks of the FBI.

"Hey Hotch," he raised his head and looked at the man who occupied the desk across from him; he was also the man who had given him his nickname. Agent Rayne Mariano was only a couple of years older than him but had much more FBI experience and had so far been guiding him through the lesser known dos and don'ts of the job. "Do you know who's in Gilmore's office?"

He shook his head as he glanced towards his unit chief's office. Agent Bartholomew Gilmore was considered to be a very valuable agent and it was critical that he make a good impression. "No, who's in his office?" He asked curiously.

"Ambassador Prentiss," he answered with a small smirk.

"So what does that mean?" The younger man asked confused.

"Well Ambassador Bishops came in during your last month of the Academy and asked us to do a security clearance for his staff so I have a feeling that Ambassador Prentiss is asking the same thing. Gilmore knows all the ambassadors," he added with a wave of his hand.

"So what does that have to do with us?" Aaron asked, still a little confused.

"Well I have a feeling that he'll get me, you, and Blake to do it," Rayne answered quickly. He was referring to Agent Blake Downs whose desk was horizontally across from his. He saw the questioning look on his team-mate's face so he continued. "Blake and I did it for Ambassador Bishops and you're the rookie so he might want to throw you a different kind of assignment."

Aaron nodded slowly. "Awe I see." He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about the prospect of working with a United States ambassador. He had never been a big fan of politics, he did vote as a registered Republican, but he had never been very passionate about the subject. From his personal experience with politicians, they were less than desirable acquaintances.

Gilmore stepped out of his office and called on his agents. "Mariano, Downs, Hotchner, can I see you in my office?"

Rayne rose from his chair with a smirk. "Told ya so."

The three men walked, in single file, into their supervisor's office. "You wanted to see us sir," Blake said professionally after he had closed the door behind him.

Gilmore took a seat in the chair behind his desk and motioned to the thin woman with long, brown hair at his side, it was easy to tell that she had been quite attractive in her younger days. "Ambassador Prentiss would like us to do security clearance for her staff. Ambassador, these are agents Downs, Hotchner, and Mariano," he introduced the men on his team from left to right.

The ambassador moved out from behind Gilmore's desk and shook hands with each of the agents. "Pleasure to meet you," she declared politely.

"When do you want them Ambassador?" Gilmore asked with a sly grin.

"I can run them through the basics this evening and they can begin work tomorrow morning," she stated reasonably.

Gilmore nodded, "Sounds like a plan, gentlemen?"

"Yes sir, that sounds fine," Rayne answered for all three of them.

"Okay, Ambassador Prentiss' house at eight o'clock."

--

Rayne parked the FBI SUV on the street and him, Blake, and Aaron got out of the vehicle and stared at the enormous, ivory house located in the richest section of Washington, D.C. "Whoa, now that is a house," Rayne laughed.

Blake nodded in agreement as they walked towards the gate. He pressed the button on the intercom and stumbled a greeting, "Umm…hi…we're with the FBI…"

There was no verbal response but the gates in front of them opened and they began to walk up the long driveway. "They have a fountain in their front yard," Rayne stated in astonishment. He and Blake were both lower middle class boys from the South so the wealth that the Prentiss family possessed amazed them, even Aaron had to admit that it was impressive.

Blake stepped forward and rang the doorbell and they were quickly met by a butler. "Come in gentlemen," he said as he pulled the door open and allowed them to enter the house, which was even more striking on the inside.

They anxiously waited in the foyer for the ambassador. She came down the large staircase and greeted them pleasantly. "Good evening, you can follow me up to the office." The three, young FBI agents did as they were told and began to climb the stairs. They followed the ambassador down a long hallway with many doors on both sides until she turned the knob on the last door on the left. They walked into the large, elegant, professional office and moved towards the desk. The ambassador picked up a file folder and passed it to Aaron. "That's a list of my staff and their résumés. Feel free to roam the house while you're here."

"Thank you Ambassador," Rayne said politely. Gilmore always joked that he had the best mannered unit in the FBI.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," the ambassador called out.

The FBI agents turned to see a tall, lanky, handsome man, probably not much younger than Aaron enter the room. Since it was summer, he was wearing a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. "Mother, father's on the phone."

"Okay tell him that I'll be there in a second. Charles these are agents Hotchner, Downs, and Mariano. This is my son, Charles," she introduced them with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," the young man shook hands with each of the agents and they could tell that he had learned common courtesy from his mother. "I'll tell father to hold on," he said before he left the office.

"He just finished his MBA at Georgetown," she told them proudly before changing the topic. "I should probably go talk to my husband; he and my daughter are coming home tomorrow." She began to walk out of her office but turned around before she reached the door. "Is 10 o'clock tomorrow morning fine gentlemen?"

They nodded and Aaron spoke for the first time. "Yes, that will be fine Ambassador."

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think! I don't think that anyone has written this idea before so feedback is encouraged! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed and story alerted! :) Also thanks to Nikki1005 who beta-read, love you! LOL. So there have been many hints on the show that Emily was a little bit of a rebel when she was younger so I kind of ran with that and I hope that you guys like it and please review! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. I also do not own the song from which this chapter title is taken. LOL**

**Chapter 2 – A Short Skirt and a Long Jacket**

"Hello!" Brian Prentiss announced happily as he opened the front door carrying two of his daughter's suitcases. He smiled as his wife and son came into view from the family room. "I brought home the prodigal daughter," he said jokingly.

"Thanks Dad," Emily laughed as she entered the house that her parents have been living in since she started university.

"How was your semester?" Her mother asked as she embraced her in a gentle hug.

"Good," she answered simply.

"Did you get your grades back?" She asked eagerly.

"Yes mother, all As, the Dean's list," she replied with a sigh, she knew that that was exactly what her mother wanted to hear.

She had just finished her third year at Yale University as a linguistics major. So far her time at Yale had been highly enjoyable, the professors were knowledgeable, the resident houses were clean, the sports were exciting, and the parties were fun. It had been a secret wish of her parents for her to go to an Ivy League school and she fulfilled that while making sure that she had a good time herself. As much as she enjoyed doing things that she knew her parents would disprove of, she was a hard worker. She was confident that she spent more time studying than anybody else on campus. She was not about to let people think that she could have everything served to her on a silver platter because she was the ambassador's daughter.

"Hey Charlie," she smirked upon seeing her brother; she knew that he hated being called Charlie.

"Hello Emily," he replied unenthusiastically.

The Prentiss children weren't exactly the closest of siblings. They rarely got along, they put on a good show in the public eye but that was about it. They were polar opposite. It all boiled down to the fact that Emily was just like their father and Charles was just like their mother.

"Emily, what are you wearing?" Her mother asked shocked. It took her mother that long to notice that she was sporting a plain, black t-shirt, a jean miniskirt, heels, and a long, black coat.

Her mother continued to stare at her in awe but she didn't respond, instead she smiled when her father leaned in, kissed her on the cheek, and said, "My little swan looks beautiful."

Charles scoffed under his breath before he mumbled as his sister passed by, "I remember when she was the ugly duckling."

Emily elbowed her brother subtly in the side but his words were true. She had been one of those people who, as her friends said, "had needed to grow into their looks." All throughout high school she had been tall, standing at 5'8", and gangly with a flat chest. Not to mention the dark, relatively black, hair, brown eyes, and pale complexion that she still possessed, although people now referred to her skin as fair and felt that her dark hair and eyes suited that. She had gained both weight and curves and looked fit as opposed to just plain skinny. But her body was somewhat new and unfamiliar and she still had a hard time grasping the fact that men found her attractive.

She was just about to start up the stairs with her backpack over her shoulder and carrying two suitcases when her mother called out her name. "Emily I have people coming over later this morning to work so if you see them be courteous."

"Always am mother," she said more to herself than to anybody else as she proceeded to walk to her room.

--

"Hey want to check out the grounds before we go inside?" Rayne asked excitedly.

"We're here to work," Aaron replied sternly.

"Aww come on Hotch, the ambassador said that we are free to roam," Rayne stated with a boyish grin.

The three men walked around to the backyard and Aaron, who was in front, was about to push open the gate that would lead them onto the pool deck when he raised his head and caught a glimpse of the woman getting up out of the water. She was wearing a bright red, string bikini and she had long, dark hair, a fit body, perfect cleavage, long legs, and a pretty face.

He would have continued to gawk if he hadn't of felt a strong hand smack him across the back of the head. "Stop staring!" Rayne scolded with a smirk. "The poor girl is wet and without a towel," he joked mischievously.

"Is that the ambassador's daughter?" Aaron asked, keeping the stutters that wanted to escape under control.

"I guess," Rayne answered.

"It is," Blake confirmed. "I recognize her from the photos on the ambassador's desk, although she looks a lot different now," he stated sounding a little puzzled.

"Come on, let's go get to work before Hotch here starts to drool," Rayne laughed.

Aaron hung his head in embarrassment as they walked back towards the front door. After they had rung the doorbell, they were greeted by a man who they had never seen before. "Brian Prentiss," he introduced himself with a smile as he shook each of their hands. "And you are?"

"Rayne Mariano."

"Blake Downs."

"Aaron Hotchner."

Mr. Prentiss smiled pleasantly, "Hotchner, yes, I know your family, you're the prosecutor right?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes, I was a prosecutor."

"Would you gentlemen like some breakfast before you begin work?" He asked hospitably.

They shook their heads. "No thank you sir," Rayne answered.

"Well I'll get you some coffee," he smiled. "Did you meet our son?" He asked randomly.

"Yes sir, last night," Aaron answered.

"Well then you'll have to meet our daughter too, let me go get her."

Once Brian Prentiss left the foyer, Rayne good-naturedly elbowed Aaron in the ribs. "We have to meet the daughter."

When he returned, the tall brunette from the pool followed him. Aaron resisted the urge to swallow nervously; she was even more stunning up close. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she had put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts but because she was still a little wet it clung to her in all the right places.

"This is our daughter, Emily," he announced proudly. Aaron could tell simply by the glint in Mr. Prentiss' eye that he thought the world of his daughter.

She smiled politely while her father named each of the three men standing in front of her. The one closest to her was the most attractive, Aaron Hotchner. He was classically attractive, tall, dark, and handsome. He was wearing a suit and tie, which had always been a turn on for her. He had nice, brown eyes and cute hair that was caught in the middle between long and short.

The five people heard the telephone ring followed shortly by, "Ms. Emily, the phone is for you."

"Nice meeting you," she smiled again before she ran up over the staircase.

"We should get to work now sir," Blake stated.

"Sure gentlemen but make yourselves at home and feel free to ask someone if you need anything."

Rayne nodded, "Okay." Mr. Prentiss left the foyer so they made their way to Ambassador Prentiss' office and began their work.

--

After a morning's work, three cups of coffee, and lunch, Aaron needed to use the washroom. He announced his intentions to his coworkers before getting up out of his chair and leaving the ambassador's office. He walked down the hallway, in search of a bathroom, when he stumbled upon the library.

He tentatively stepped inside. "Wow," he spoke quietly to himself as he took in the large space. There must have been at least a thousand books. He walked in a little bit further and that's when he saw Emily curled up in a chair with a book in her lap. "Oh, I apologize," he said trying not to sound flustered.

She raised her head and smiled. "Its okay, Agent Hotchner?"

He nodded, "Yes. What are you reading?"

"_War and Peace_," she answered as she showed him the book cover. "I've read almost every other book here."

"So you just got home?" He felt compelled to talk to her; maybe it was because she had a warm, inviting smile.

"Yeah, Dad and I came down from Connecticut this morning," she answered as she closed the book.

"University?"

"Yale," she replied smiling, she would guess that Agent Hotchner was not even 30.

"So you spend a lot of time in here?" He asked curiously.

She nodded, "Yeah, this is my favourite house that we've ever had and I'm either in here or in the pool." She paused before she asked, "So you're in the FBI?" He simply nodded. "That's what I want to do but don't tell my mother," she laughed.

He laughed along with her. "Okay, I won't."

"Hey Hotch!" Aaron quickly spun around to see Rayne leaning against the doorway. "So this is the washroom," he stated with a smirk.

"The washroom is the next door down on the right," Emily chimed in.

"Thank you," Aaron said politely.

"No problem," she smiled brightly at the two agents as they left the library.

--

"Agent Hotchner, may I speak with you for a moment, in private?" Ambassador Prentiss asked calmly as she stepped into her office in the late afternoon.

As Aaron got up out of his chair he gave his team-mates a puzzled look, he had no idea what the ambassador would want to talk to him about. He followed her out of her office and into a similar room that he would guess was Mr. Prentiss' office.

"You've met Emily?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"I would like you to watch her," she stated as if it was an everyday request.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Sometimes Emily likes to be a little rebellious and throughout her years she's done a very good job of losing every single person that we've assigned to look out for her but I figure that this may work because you are closer to her age," she explained nonchalantly.

"Excuse me Ambassador but isn't Emily a young woman?" He didn't understand why the ambassador wanted someone to watch her adult daughter.

"Yes, she is but she isn't as mature as her brother and this is a very important week, we are having a party on Friday, so I want to make sure that she doesn't do anything dishonourable while she's home. Can you do this Agent Hotchner?"

"I suppose so yes," he answered uneasily.

She smiled, "Thank you."

He left the room feeling rather uncomfortable, he had a feeling that Emily Prentiss would not be pleased to find out that he was supposed to be her babysitter. When he walked into Ambassador Prentiss' office he saw that Rayne and Blake were packing up.

"Quitting time," Blake laughed.

"I think that I'm going to go see my uncle, he lives only a couple of blocks away, so you guys can go on and I'll see you tomorrow morning," Aaron said with his hands awkwardly in his pockets.

"Yeah sure thing," Rayne replied, he wasn't about to pester the younger man, at least not until tomorrow. "See ya," he said as he and Blake walked past him and out the door.

Aaron waited a couple of minutes before gathering his things together and walking down over the stairs. Mr. Prentiss was in the family room so he said his goodbye before leaving via the front door. He was about to walk down the driveway when he heard odd noises coming from the backyard. He walked towards the fence and stood on the tips of his toes, allowing him to see over into the yard. He felt a small smile grace his lips as he watched Emily leave her room, walk out onto her balcony, and then carefully climb down the drain pipe and jump onto the pool deck.

Her heels made loud clicking noises as she approached him. "Sneaking out?" He asked while suppressing a laugh.

She jumped when she heard a voice and then turned her head to see him peering in over the fence. "What the hell? Why do you look like you're peeping?"

"I heard you sneaking out of your room, aren't you a little old for that?"

She gave him a gesture that told him to hold on so he waited while she walked towards the gate, slowly pushed it open, and emerged on his side of the fence. She walked up to him before answering his question. "You don't know my mother."

"So where are you going?" He asked curiously.

"Out," she replied vaguely. "Do you want to come?"

He smirked, "Well I know a bar that you may like." He paused before asking, "You are legal drinking age right?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I'm 21."

She was 21, well that made him feel like less of a pervert. "I parked my car on the street," he stated as they began to walk down the driveway. "Wait! How do you sneak out when you have gates and security cameras?" He asked inquisitively.

"Well it just so happens that I'm really close with the butlers, the maids, the chef, the security guys, I've probably spent more time with them than with my parents. And as for the gate, most of the time I just scale it but that's harder to do when you're drunk," she laughed, "so it helps to have some allies in the house." She reached the intercom on the inside and held in on the button. "Hey, its Emily, can you let me out please?" There was no verbal response, the gates just instantly opened. "See," she smiled.

They walked to his car, and being a gentleman, he walked to the passenger's side and opened the door for her. He drove until he reached the bar that he was looking for. "I'm kind of hungry," he stated as he turned off his car and took the keys out of the ignition. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," she answered before opening the door and stepping out of the car.

He tucked his keys into his pocket before following her. The bar was relatively large, held a small crowd, and there was a band playing, Emily liked it from the moment they walked in. He guided her to a booth that had a good view of the stage and they both sat down. He got comfortable by taking off his suit jacket.

Shortly after, a waitress came over to take their orders. "I'll have a cheeseburger with the works, fries, and a soda please," Aaron requested politely.

Emily smiled, "I'll have what he's having."

He laughed once the waitress had left. "I thought that women didn't eat when they went out."

She scoffed, "Well I guess I'm an exception."

She got to her feet and took off her long jacket and it was then that he noticed that she was wearing a jean miniskirt and a black halter top. She looked incredibly attractive and he could tell that she was already warranting attention from the male patrons of the bar.

She sat back down, reached into her coat pocket, and pulled out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. "You smoke?" He questioned.

She laughed, "You sound surprised."

"I am," he admitted.

"Yeah well some things you can't escape even with private school," she explained. "My parents don't know and my brother doesn't know cuz well if he did my parents would already know. So this is between you and me," she said as she placed the cigarette in her mouth and lit it.

He nodded, "Okay." Smoking was a filthy, unhealthy habit but she looked quite elegant with a cigarette in her hand.

"So how old are you?" She asked curiously as she pulled the ash tray on the table closer towards her.

"27," he answered simply.

She smirked to herself, "Only 27," she repeated quietly. "How did you get into the FBI?"

"I was a lawyer, a prosecutor," he answered. "I wanted to be on the other side of law enforcement, before it reaches the courtroom. What are you doing in school?" He asked changing the topic.

"Linguistics," she responded before finishing off her cigarette.

"Interesting, do you speak any other languages?"

"French, Spanish, Arabic, German, Portuguese, a little Russian," she replied routinely. When she told people that she was doing a linguistics degree, the question that Aaron had just asked her was common. She had learned a few languages in childhood while travelling from country to country and others in school.

"That's impressive," he stated genuinely amazed.

"Thanks," she replied with a small smile.

The waitress brought them their orders and along with it another drink. "From the gentleman at the bar," she told Emily as she sat the wine cooler down in front of her.

Emily turned to see a cute, blonde guy in jeans and a dress shirt waving at her. She flirtatiously waved back and Aaron found himself becoming a little irritated. He told himself that it was because his assignment was to look after her but he knew that there was more to it than that.

"Does that happen often?" He asked trying not to sound annoyed.

"No," she laughed, "well not for the first 19 years of my life, in the past two maybe it happens more frequently."

Aaron decided not to enquire any further and they proceeded to eat. Afterwards she got up out of the booth. "Where are you going?" He asked urgently.

"I'm going to ask that guy who bought me a drink to dance." He definitely did not like that idea but what was he supposed to say. "Unless you want to dance with me," she added with a smile.

"Uhhh…I dunno…" He started hesitantly. He wasn't exactly the dancing type especially in this situation. He had played it safe and sober while she had had two beers and a wine cooler but then again he didn't want her to dance with a guy that he didn't know either.

She laughed at his awkwardness. "Come on!"

He made up his mind. "Okay fine."

She smiled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up out of the booth. She dragged him to the middle of the dance floor and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his bicep. His hands awkwardly found their spot around her waist. He hoped that it was just the ungodly temperature in the bar that was making him sweat in his dress pants and dress shirt and that it wasn't the young woman in front of him. He jolted forward in surprise when she yanked on his tie. He chuckled as he watched her laugh. She smirked as he loosened up and actually showed that he was a fairly good dancer.

She managed to keep him dancing for three more fast songs and one slow song before he laughed while saying, "Okay that's enough for me." She followed him back to the booth and grabbed her jacket. "Would you like me to bring you home?" He asked kindly.

"Yes please," she answered gratefully.

They both left a tip on the table before leaving the bar. He drove her to her house and parked on the street once again. He hopped out of his car and quickly moved around to the passenger side to open the door for her.

She smiled brightly, "Thank you." She leaned against his car as she took out another cigarette and lit it. "Thanks for taking me out and bringing me back home."

"No problem, anytime," he replied honestly.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked with a grin.

"No, do you have a boyfriend?"

She took a draw before tapping the end of the cigarette and watched as the ashes fell to the ground. "Not enough time," she answered quietly. He looked at her puzzled. "I don't want people to think that I got into Yale just because of who my parents are and I don't want people to think that I'm doing well by spending a lot of time on my back, do you know what I mean?"

He nodded, "Yeah I get it."

"So I don't have the time for a boyfriend, at least not during the school year, but the year's over now," she added softly as she looked up at him.

He stared back at her for what seemed like a very long time before he brought himself out of his trance. "I should be getting home now."

"Yeah same," she replied as she dropped the very end of her cigarette and stamped it out with her heel. "I'll see you around," she said laughing lightly.

He smiled, "Yeah." He watched her walk towards the intercom and he waited until the gates opened before he got back into his car and drove away.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 3 – Flirting Leads to Confrontations**

Wednesday went by rather uneventfully. Aaron, Rayne, and Blake went about their work conscientiously, only stopping for coffee breaks and lunch, and at lunch was the only time that they saw Emily. Aaron figured that she must be passing her time away either in the library or in her bedroom since she hadn't been in the pool.

But Thursday he saw her again. He, Blake, and Rayne went out onto the pool deck to drink their coffee during their break. "Oooh morning show," Rayne laughed.

Aaron looked in the direction of his friend's gaze and saw that Emily was doing laps in the pool. "It's your girlfriend," Blake joked. Both he and Rayne were aware of their friend's strong attraction to the ambassador's daughter.

The youngest man simply ignored his team-mates and took a seat in one of the chairs. He sipped his coffee as he watched her climb the ladder to get up out of the pool. She had decided to wear a brown bikini today. She dried her body off with a towel before walking over to them.

"Good morning," she greeted them pleasantly.

"Good morning," the three men replied in unison.

"How's work going?" She asked curiously.

Blake and Rayne waited for Aaron to respond but once they realized that he was too busy staring to speak, Rayne answered, "It's going well, we should be through it all by tomorrow."

She nodded before she turned to Aaron and smirked. "What about you? Working hard?" She asked playfully as she gently kicked his leg.

He got to his feet. "Well I'm working harder than you anyway."

She laughed, "I'm a student, and I'm not the one getting paid to hang out by the pool." He laughed too and smiled as he felt her hand on his arm. "Oh sorry," she laughed playfully. "I'm getting your dress shirt wet."

"Its okay," he smiled, he enjoyed being flirted with, it hadn't happened in a while.

Rayne and Blake heard the sliding door from the house open but Aaron and Emily were oblivious. The two agents exchanged worried looks as they watched Charles Prentiss step onto the pool deck, and he did not look pleased.

"Hey Emily," he called out, "can I talk to you for a second?"

She looked past Aaron and at her brother. "Yeah okay," she replied confused. "I'll talk to you later," she smiled as she turned her attention back to Aaron. She grabbed a towel off of an empty lawn chair before she followed her older brother into the house.

"What was that about?" Charles asked angrily once they were both inside and away from the sliding door.

"What was what about?" She asked bewildered.

"Flirting with Agent Hotchner," he stated with his arms folded across his chest.

"Well who I flirt with isn't any of your business," she told him sharply.

"It is my business if mother is paying him to do work."

"You're such a kiss up," she stated heatedly.

"I'd rather be a kiss up than a slut," he said while looking straight into her eyes, never flinching for a moment.

"Shut up Charles, you don't even know what you're talking about and ya know maybe getting laid every once in a while might do you some good," she replied furiously.

"Well just try to keep your clothes on around the hired help, how about that?" He yelled after her as she began to walk away.

The fight hadn't surprised her at all. Charles was intending on entering politics so as a result he had almost become their mother's lackey, something that she would never be. He also possessed his mother's concerns about reputation and he felt that her flirting with an FBI agent, who was currently working for their family, wasn't going to produce a positive response from their mother's friends.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she smacked into Aaron on her way to her room. "Sorry," she apologized; she had been walking with her head down.

He, Blake, and Rayne had decided to get back to work as soon as Emily had left and as a result they had heard most of their fight. He had told his coworkers that he was going to the washroom in the hope of running into her and his plan had succeeded. "It's okay," he said softly. She made a move to sidestep and walk past him but he held both of her elbows gently in his hands. "You shouldn't fight with your brother like that."

"We're nothing alike so we can't understand each other," she replied in confusion, she didn't know why he was telling her that.

"Where your family moved around so much, the only thing constant that you guys had was each other so you would think that you'd be really close."

"The only thing that came out of our mother being a career politician is that it drove Charles towards politics and me away from it," she explained calmly.

"Well he still shouldn't have called you that," he said sweetly, he wasn't willing to repeat the derogatory name in question.

She laughed lightly and a small smile broke through on her face. "Thanks."

"Well I should be getting back to work," he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I'll see you at lunch," he smiled.

She nodded before he let go of her and they walked in separate directions.

--

After another day's work, Aaron got aboard his car and was about to drive away when he saw the gates open and Emily walk onto the sidewalk. He rolled down the driver's window and called out to her. "Sneaking out again?"

She smiled when she recognized the voice and walked towards his car. "Hey, I stayed in last night."

He knew that she had stayed home last night because after all, his assignment was to make sure that she didn't get into any trouble and she couldn't really do that from her home. "So where are you going?" He asked curiously.

"A house party," she smirked. "Do you wanna come?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure," he responded after only a moment of thought. "Where is it?"

"How about instead of giving you directions, I drive?" She asked with a smirk, he was a guy so she didn't actually expect him to let her take control of his car.

"Drive my car? No," he replied laughing.

She laughed before she proposed another idea. "Well how about you leave your car here and we walk, that way you can drink with me."

He raised an eyebrow and stared at her for a long time before rolling up the window, getting out of the car, and locking it. "Okay, but I'm only having one." She grabbed him by the hand and they began to walk down the sidewalk.

With Emily's directions, they arrived at the house 20 minutes later and saw many vehicles parked on both sides of the street. The house was large and wealthy looking, all of the lights were on, you could hear music playing, and there were people on the lawn. As they moved up the walkway and towards the house, a young man holding a beer in his hand called out to her. "Hey Prentiss! Got outta prison?" He asked laughing.

"Yes Brandon, I'll talk to you later," she replied with a smile.

Emily opened the front door and they stepped inside the house which was packed with people. "Emily!" A tall blonde greeted her happily. "I'm so glad that you came!"

The two women hugged before Emily answered, "You thought that I wasn't going to come?"

"Well ya know, ya never know how stealth you're going to be from night to night," she laughed. "You brought a guest?"

"Yeah, this is…"

He cut her off as he extended his hand to the woman. "Aaron." The last thing that he wanted was for her to introduce him as Agent Hotchner.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Erica," she smiled.

"Nice to meet you too," he replied politely.

Erica smirked at Emily and had a full conversation in facial expressions, in the way that only girls could before she directed her and Aaron to the kitchen. Emily felt completely comfortable opening the fridge in one of her best friends' houses so she did and retrieved two beers. She passed him one with a determined look on her face and he accepted it without protest.

"Do you want to take off your coat?" He asked as he just noticed that she still had her jacket on.

"Yeah I'll just go up in Erica's room and leave it there; I'll probably see her tomorrow anyway." She started to walk out of the kitchen but turned around at the last minute. "You're okay here right?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."

She laughed, "Okay." She walked out of the kitchen, back into the living room, up over the stairs, and into her friend's room. She took off her long, black jacket that she wore practically everywhere and tossed it on Erica's bed. She walked to the mirror and self-consciously looked herself over before leaving.

She returned to the kitchen to find Aaron leaning against the counter, drinking his beer. He swallowed hard when he saw her. She was wearing a white skirt that came just above her knees and a tight, black, strapless shirt. Her long hair was straightened and came down over her shoulders, she looked beautiful. She grabbed her beverage off of the counter and stood up beside him. "Do you want to dance?" She asked smiling brightly.

"You got me to dance with you the other night," he sighed.

"Yes exactly, so it shouldn't be a big deal now," she countered, still with a big smile on her face.

"Okay," he sighed once again. "But only for two songs." He liked dancing with her because he could smell her and it was a good excuse to touch her but he was afraid that he was getting too tempted.

She laughed before she took his hand and led him into the living room where people were dancing. She pulled him into her and wrapped both of her arms around his neck.

After his required two songs, she pulled back and smiled, "Do you want to come upstairs with me? I'm going to get a cigarette." He nodded so, once again, she took his hand and they walked up the stairs and into Erica's bedroom.

She laid her beer down on the bedside table before she picked her jacket up off of the bed and reached into one of her front pockets and pulled out her pack of cigarettes and lighter. She sat down on the edge of the bed and he tentatively sat down beside her. They looked at each other in silence for a long time before she finally leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

He got completely caught up in the moment and began to kiss her back as he wound a hand in her hair. When she pulled back for air he looked at her in shock after realizing what they had just done. She leaned in once again but he stopped her. "We can't," he said firmly.

"Do you want me?" She asked quietly.

"Emily…we can't…"

"Just answer the question," she cut him off as she moved closer to him. She took hold of his tie and hauled him forward. "Just tell me."

Her voice sent shivers down his spine. "Emily," he began as he put both of his hands on his tie, pulled it away from her, and straightened it out. "Your mother asked me to keep an eye on you," he confessed.

"She what?" He could instantly see the anger ignite in her eyes.

"She asked me to make sure that you didn't get into any trouble," he answered.

She let out a frustrated sigh before she grabbed her jacket and her bottle of beer and stormed out of the room. He let out his own sigh before following her down over the stairs and out of the house. She stopped on the sidewalk to light up her cigarette and that's when he caught up with her.

"Here let me walk you home," he stated as he reached out to take her by the arm.

She took a step farther away from him. "I wouldn't touch me right now if I were you, Dad made us take self-defence classes when we were younger." She took a sip of her beer and a draw from her cigarette. "I can get home on my own."

"No, let me…"

She cut him off, "Don't worry, I'll tell my parents that you brought me home, it won't ruin your assignment."

"It's not like that," he argued.

Their conversation was interrupted when three guys passing by called out to Emily. "Hey Prentiss, we're going to go aboard Sinclair's yacht, wanna come?"

"Yeah," she answered automatically.

"Emily I don't think…" Aaron began but once again she cut him off.

"Go home Aaron," she told him coldly before walking away.

He kicked at air and growled out of dissatisfaction as he watched her get aboard an unknown car. He sulked for a few more minutes before he began to walk back towards the Prentiss house. It was the worst that he had ever felt after being propositioned by a gorgeous girl.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and story alerts, I love you guys! :) Thanks to PisceanPal23 for beta-reading :). Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 4 – Regret? **

"Hey Hotch, what's up?" Rayne inquired at work on Friday morning. "You seem distracted."

Aaron yawned; he had hardly gotten any sleep. Once he had walked back to the Prentiss house, retrieved his car, and drove home, he had spent all night thinking about Emily. She liked him. He liked her. It seemed so simple but really it was anything but. He was a new agent in the FBI who was determined to prove himself and she was the ambassador's twenty-one year-old daughter who was determined not to live in her mother's shadow, wanting to be her own person. Whatever was happening between them could be a setback for both their goals.

He also couldn't stop wondering whether or not she had gotten home safely. He was concerned about her. He truly cared about her and that scared him a little.

"I think that he's thinking about Emily," Blake stated quietly.

Rayne smirked, "Is that true?"

Aaron shrugged, "Maybe a little."

"Well, what are you thinking about?" Rayne probed.

"About how much he wants her," Blake joked.

"Her mother asked me to watch her, to make sure that she didn't get into any trouble," he told his two friends and colleagues truthfully.

Blake's mouth dropped open but Rayne responded, "Oh and let me guess. You told her."

Aaron nodded, "Yeah, I did."

"I can't imagine that she was pleased about the fact that you're her babysitter."

Aaron nodded again; Rayne's theory was spot on. "No, she was really mad."

"And you want to apologize?" Blake asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, but she's not home, I already checked."

"Well, she'll have to be at the party tonight, and the ambassador already invited us," Rayne smirked.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Aaron replied quietly.

--

The FBI agents officially finished their work for Ambassador Prentiss at 2:45 P.M. "Thank you gentlemen," she said while shaking their hands.

Blake handed her a file folder with four sheets of paper in it. "These are your staff members that brought up red flags but you can review it yourself and make a personal decision."

"I'll have my security team look it over," she replied as she laid the folder on her desk. "You are coming tonight, right?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes ma'am," Rayne answered, returning her smile.

"Well, I'll see you at nine."

"Yes, it was a pleasure ambassador," Aaron stated politely.

She looked at him and smiled, the young man had seemed a little off today but he was now returning to normal. She assumed that everything between him and her daughter was going well and that she'd hadn't given him any major hassle. She knew what a handful Emily could be but Aaron Hotchner seemed more than capable and her daughter actually liked him. Right now, asking him to secretly look after her may have been the wisest decision that she had ever made regarding her only daughter.

--

Rayne, Blake, and Aaron arrived at the Prentiss home at exactly nine o'clock wearing suits and ties. They were greeted at the door by the head butler, Niles, and then directed into the family room where everyone was gathered. The three young, single men recognized many politicians and other socialites from the D.C. area.

But only one person caught Aaron's eye. He noticed Emily standing next to her mother holding a glass of champagne in her hand. Her long, dark hair was up in a bun and she was wearing a long, black dress with spaghetti straps that was very form fitting.

An elbow in his ribs stopped him from staring. He turned to Rayne and looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"I elbowed you to stop the gawking," he laughed.

"Hey why don't you sneak off to the library and Rayne and I will find a way to get her to go up there," Blake suggested quietly. Aaron nodded and silently thanked them before walking away. "Okay," Blake laughed, "now to get to the daughter."

Rayne laughed along with him. "Yeah, I've had easier assignments."

They walked towards the ambassador and her daughter and said hello. Blake began to talk to the ambassador about the security clearances and successfully distracted her, leading her towards the opposite side of the room.

"Hey Emily," Rayne began a little awkwardly.

"Hey," she replied confused. She had only spoken to the agent once before.

"Listen, Hotch…sorry, Aaron…really wants to talk to you," he explained getting right to the point. She showed no signs of caving on her position so he continued. "He just really wants to apologize; he kinda vaguely told us what happened."

"He wants to apologize?" She was quite angry with him, though not as much as she was with her mother. However, she was still very upset with him.

Rayne nodded, "Yeah, Hotch has a conscience."

She sighed heavily, "Where is he?"

"He's in the library."

"Thanks," she said as she handed him her champagne glass. "Here you can have that; I haven't drunken from it yet. Oh and a little piece of advice, Senator Dresken's daughter is really easy."

Rayne laughed, "Thank you Emily."

She smiled as she patted his shoulder, "No problem."

She laughed as she walked into the foyer and climbed the stairs. She stopped at the door to the library and took a deep breath before turning the knob and walking in. She closed the door behind her before taking a step forward and seeing Aaron behind one of the large bookshelves.

"Aaron?"

He jumped at her voice before revealing himself. "Hey," he greeted her with a small smile.

She walked towards him and pushed him back until they were both behind the bookcase so that they were practically out of sight to anyone coming through the door. "You wanted to talk to me."

He nodded, "Yeah. I want to apologize for everything. I never once thought of you as an 'assignment'. I didn't want to tell you earlier because I didn't want to see you upset, but I want you to know that your mother asking me to watch you is not the reason why I wanted to talk to you or come and hang out with you. In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about you last night and I couldn't stop picturing what could have happened if we had continued," he blurted out.

"Done apologizing?"

"Umm," he looked at her puzzled, "yeah, I think so."

"Okay, good, so just shut up," she smiled as she placed her hands on the sides of his face and kissed him.

When she pulled back he stared at her as he tried to catch his breath. His hands found her face and he pulled her in for another kiss. "I really like you," he panted.

She smiled warmly before she replied to his statement with another kiss. She pushed his suit jacket down over his shoulders before he lifted her up into his arms and placed her on the nearest desk. They kissed passionately as he pulled down the zipper of her dress and she pushed her straps down her arms.

"Do you really want to…?" He began to ask but she cut him off.

"Uh huh." She pulled him in by the collar of his dress shirt and then ran her hands down his back until they were placed on his firm behind.

"As long as you're sure," he replied laughing lightly.

--

Aaron sat atop of the desk as he caught his breath. He had had sex with Emily Prentiss. He ran a hand through his dark hair as he chuckled under his breath. It had been absolutely incredible. Experience hadn't been an issue and protection hadn't been a problem. They had been completely compatible. And that's when it hit him; he had been _assigned_ to watch out for Emily. He doubted that the ambassador would approve of this. And it had happened in her home where anybody could have walked in on them.

But she was gorgeous. He raised his head and watched her as she got redressed. She had elected to fix her hair, which he had pulled out of its perfect bun in order to tangle his hands in it, before she put her dress back on. So she stood before him in her matching black undergarments.

"We should probably go back down now," he stated as he knotted his tie. All of his clothes were back on except for his suit jacket.

She nodded as she stepped into her dress and pulled it up. "Yeah my mother probably doesn't even notice that I'm missing but we should anyway."

"Hey, come here." She looked at him curiously as he motioned her towards him. She gave in and walked until she was standing between his open legs. "Your mother has a lot to be proud of."

"Shut up," she replied, slightly embarrassed.

"No, I'm serious," he said sincerely, "Intelligent, beautiful, unique, driven…"

"Stop it," she giggled.

He laughed; he had never seen her look so carefree before. Even when she was out partying it was like she had something to prove. "It's true."

"Well I'm not used to guys being so genuinely sweet, okay?" she explained before turning her back to him. "Can you pull up the zipper please?"

He smiled as he fulfilled her request. He continued to smile uncontrollably as he ran his fingers along her bare shoulders. "Ready?"

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to be ready for something else," she laughed.

He laughed along with her before spinning her around. "Okay, let's go down."

"Hold on a second," she stopped him from getting up off of the desk. "You have bed hair." She straightened out his hair with her fingers before stepping back. "Okay, you can leave first and I'll wait a little while and then leave."

He nodded, "Okay."

He smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes before opening the library door and making his way back into the family room. He saw Rayne talking to tall, thin, pretty brunette while Blake was standing next to the food table. He walked over to the latter and began to eat the finger foods as well.

"Why, hello," Blake greeted him with a smirk.

"Hey," Aaron replied with an even voice.

"And how did the apology go?" He looked the younger man up and down before laughing lightly. "I take that it went well."

"Yeah it did."

Blake laughed again, "Yeah I bet."

"What?" Aaron asked confused.

"Someone got up close and personal with the ambassador's daughter," he grinned mischievously. He had to contain chuckles when he noticed Emily walking back into the room and moving towards a group of people who looked to be around her age. "You guys definitely did a little more than talk." Blake then received an intimidating look from Aaron that he had never seen before and he figured that it meant that he should stop talking.

"Let's get Rayne and get out of here," Aaron stated firmly.

"Okay I'll get Rayne and you go and thank Ambassador Prentiss for inviting us cuz you seemed to get the most out of this party."

Aaron gave Blake a glare, and had to resist the urge to smack him, before he walked towards the ambassador. "Thank you for inviting us," he started politely. "Blake, Rayne, and I are going to head home now, but we had a wonderful time." Well, he _did _have a good time.

She ignored his gratitude and said, "Agent Hotchner, I would like to see you tomorrow morning." He looked at her curiously. "About Emily."

He panicked for a moment before realizing what she meant. "Okay ma'am."

"Nine?" She suggested.

"Yes, that will be fine." He locked eyes with Emily as he crossed the room to meet his friends so that they could leave.

**A/N: Please read and review, there's only one chapter left!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited, and alerted. :) Special thanks to my beta. :) This is the last chapter and I hope that you like it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.**

**Chapter 5 – Growing Up**

Aaron arrived at the Prentiss house punctually and was shown to the ambassador's office. "Good morning Agent Hotchner," she greeted him pleasantly.

"Good morning," he replied as he stepped further into her office. When he reached her desk, she got up out of her chair and passed him an envelope. He looked at it in confusion before he opened it and pulled out a check addressed to him for 10,000 dollars. "What's this?"

"That's for taking care of Emily. She's leaving tomorrow with her father for New York so I won't have to worry about her. She seems to only act out when I'm around."

The ambassador's statement struck Aaron as a little cold. "I can't take this," he told her quietly.

"Well you definitely deserve it; I know that she's a challenge…"

"No, she isn't," he cut her off.

"Excuse me?" She asked in bewilderment, no one that had ever been employed by her had ever interrupted her.

"I'm sorry ambassador," he apologized respectfully. He knew that what he was doing could jeopardize his career but he couldn't help himself. "Spending time with Emily was a pleasure and not a challenge. She's very accomplished and intelligent and she deserves to be treated like an adult, she doesn't need someone to follow her in order to make sure she doesn't get into trouble." He placed the envelope back on her desk. "It really was a pleasure ambassador, you should get to know your daughter, she's…she's different." He laughed lightly at himself, he sounded like a high school boy. "Thank you for your time."

He left the ambassador speechless and he held his head high as he walked out of her office. He took quick steps to make it down over the stairs and out of the house. He began to walk down the long driveway but stopped and turned around. He ran back towards the fence that partitioned off the backyard. He peered in over the fence and smiled when he saw Emily, once again in the pool.

"Emily," he called out in a low voice.

She appeared above water and smiled when she saw him looking in over the fence. She hopped out of the pool and walked towards the gate. She pushed it open and joined him on the other side of the fence. "What are you doing here?" She inquired.

"Your mother wanted to see me," he answered, frowning.

"Oh, so how much did she pay you?" She knew that the people that were assigned to look after her were paid in varying amounts depending on how successful they were at keeping her under control.

"Nothing, I gave it back to her," he told her honestly.

"Well that's a first," she laughed.

"So you're going to New York tomorrow?" He finally worked up the courage to ask her.

"Yeah. Dad has business there for the next two weeks and I figured that it would be good for me," she answered quietly.

"Yeah, I agree," he nodded.

"Gotta grow up sometime right?" She asked rhetorically.

"I think that you grew up a long time ago," he replied firmly. She laughed until he spoke again. "I'm serious…"

"What are you trying to say?"

"Be confident in your abilities." He couldn't figure out why, but he saw the potential that she possessed, and believed she could do almost anything she put her mind to.

"Same goes for you," she responded. "You don't have to spend the rest of your career sucking up to people like my mother."

He laughed, "Point taken. So listen," he began as he placed a hand on her upper arm, "Have fun in New York, but not too much fun."

She smiled, "I won't and I'm sorry that I'm leaving so soon after we…" She stopped abruptly and looked down at her feet in embarrassment.

"Its okay, it's probably for the best, any longer and I would have fallen hard for you. Then where would I be when you went back to Yale?" He asked smiling. She laughed as she felt blush creep across her cheeks. "Hopefully I'll see you again."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I told you that I wanted to join the FBI."

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Goodbye," he said quietly.

"Bye," she replied in a very small voice. He turned around and began to walk away when she called out to him. "Hey! You know that nickname that Rayne calls you all the time? Hotch?" He nodded. "It suits you," she smiled.

He laughed before waving and turning his back to her again. "Hotch," he repeated quietly to himself. He laughed out loud. "Hotch."

He couldn't hear anybody else ever calling him that.

**The End**


End file.
